DEP busts 3 for illegal dumping in Allamuchy

Three men have been charged with illegal dumping along Waterloo Valley Road on the Mount Olive border of Allamuchy State Park.

Dylan Nowakowski, 20, of Ledgewood section of Roxbury, faces $1,466 in fines as part of what the State Department of Environmental Protection describes as a “continuing crack down on illegal dumping in state parks and recreational lands,” according to a DEP release issued on Tuesday.

Nowakowski pled guilty in Mount Olive Municipal Court to illegal dumping after disposing of construction and household debris, according to the DEP.

Dylan Scarpone, 20, of Stanhope, and Christopher Ederer, 53, were separately charged with illegal dumping on in the same location. Both pled guilty in Mount Olive and were ordered to pay $283 in fines.

State Park Police Detective Steven Franzone and Mike Flora, with the Morris County Solid Waste department, investigated both cases in Allamuchy.

Investigations of illegal dump sites on state properties by State Park Police, DEP Division of Fish & Wildlife’s Conservation Officers and DEP’s Compliance & Enforcement personnel have resulted in 36 arrests or charges since the DEP launched its “Don’t Waste Our Open Space” campaign in late March.

The program is a coordinated effort of several DEP programs including Parks, Fish & Wildlife, Solid Waste, Water Resources, State Forestry Services and the Natural Lands Trust.

“As we approach the one year mark of this important and productive initiative, we continue to seek out these illegal dumpers who have no regard for the environment, wildlife and people who enjoy the outdoors” DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said. “Those who are caught illegally dumping on our properties should know that their actions will have consequences.”

Other recent enforcement actions related to the DEP campaign, all actions for the illegal dumping initiative, all conducted by State Park Police, include:

•Andrew Carter, 38, of Shamong, was charged with illegal dumping and illegal transporting of solid waste after a dump site consisting of construction material, worksite debris and household trash was discovered off of Three Bridges Road in Wharton State Forest. Carter faces a maximum fine of $15,000.

•Pawel Klos, 20, of Hamilton (Mercer County) was charged with illegal dumping after an investigation of a dump site consisting of construction debris in the Whitehead Road Parking Lot of D&R Canal State Park in Lawrence. Klos faces a maximum fine of $5,000. The case was investigated by State Park Police Detective Timothy Kasony.

•Drew Dash, 24, of Medford, was charged with disposal and transportation of solid waste after several bags of trash and personal belongings were found along an access road at Wharton State Forest in Shamong. Dash faces a maximum fine of $15,000. The case is being investigated by State Park Police Detective Calloway.

•James Cassady, 36, of Lumberton, was charged with illegal dumping after a Burlington County park ranger witnessed him dumping yard debris in Rancocas State Park. Cassady faces a $1,000 fine. State Park Police Detective Douglas Lemyre and Officer Sean Samson investigated the case.

•Deanna Cottle, 43, of Browns Mills, was charged with illegal dumping after being captured on surveillance photos dumping leaves on three separate occasions in the White’s Bog section of Brendan Byrne State Forest in Pemberton. Cottle pled guilty and was ordered to pay a $283 fine. Detectives Kasony and Chris Farrer from DEP’s Bureau of Solid Waste investigated.

The “Don’t Waste Our Open Space’’ campaign incorporates strict enforcement of illegal dumping practices, in part through the use of strategically deployed motion-sensor cameras set up in select state parks and wildlife-management areas to spot violators. Information on arrests and charges filed in connection with illegal dumping is posted at www.stopdumping.nj.gov.

Nearly all of the state’s more than 170 publicly owned tracts, including state parks, state forests, wildlife management areas, marinas, and natural lands and preserves, have been impacted by illegal dumping, according to DEP. These lands, the department says, account for 813,000 acres of state-preserved open space.

Staff Writer William Westhoven: 973-428-6627; wwesthoven@dailyrecord.com.